All the Pretty Horses
by Sheepyshavings
Summary: The first encounter between a young Regina and Daniel, the stable boy.


Horses hadn't ever really scared Regina, but she'd been wary of their massive size in comparison to her own. As a small girl, she used to haunt the stable grounds, watching as the hired hands tended the animals, brushing their coats and scraping the mud from their horseshoes. She knew she'd be riding on her own someday.

Her favorite horse was a chestnut one called Ivory. She had bestowed the name upon him that after seeing the diamond shaped patch of white that extended from his chin to underbelly. She often entered the stables early in the morning, the smell of manure and fresh hay filling her nostrils. Sometimes the dust from the hay bales made her sneeze. Before lunchtime, her mother permitted her to wander around the grounds, exploring in a way that was productive to her understanding of her property. More often than not, Regina would ignore everything else within the vicinity and stare at the horses as the sun passed over the trees, never getting close enough to touch the animals. She loved their large, expressive eyes and the way their manes would sometimes hang over their foreheads.

When she was old enough to be strapped into a corset, a new family came into the service of the Mills. Regina remembered watching from her balcony as the small, muted-brown carriage rolled up the winding pathway to her home. Her eyes scrutinized the vehicle. Life was rather dull and monotonous, and having any sort of change warranted paying attention to. She knew of the workers that had just mysteriously disappeared. It settled uneasily in her gut, when Regina's mother told her the old servants were no longer needed and they had been let go.

The carriage pulled up beside the servants' quarters, a hut apart from the manor made of stone. Regina ducked down when she heard her mother open the front door and step out to greet the newcomers. The girl peeked through iron posts at the people coming out of the carriage: A woman, looking to be around Cora's age, a man with a balding head and a paunch of a stomach, and a boy.

Regina craned her neck to focus on him. He was older than her, she could tell, but he hadn't quite grown into his skin yet. His hair was cut short, just above the ears and the color of old straw. His clothes put him far below her, tattered vest and worn pants. The hint of a beard shadowed his chin.

She stood up and quickly backed into her room so as to avoid her mother's gaze. Spying would not be looked kindly upon. Soon enough, her mother's voice cut through the air, demanding she come greet the new help.

Regina pattered down the stone steps, holding her dress up. She had finally gotten used to the crushing sensation of the corset and could breathe normally while walking.

Outside, her mother and father stood side by side on the steps while the new family waited below them.

"Come here, darling. These are the new hired hands."

Regina curtsied, dipping her head down. She knew she'd done the wrong thing the moment her head came back up and met her mother's searing gaze. Curtsying in front of servants was inappropriate. They were below her, at least in her mother's eyes. Bows and curtsies were reserved for equals and those of greater standing.

"Hello," she stuttered, trying to recover from her blunder. The man and the woman looked mildly frightened, but Regina's eyes stopped on the boy. Up close, he was stiff and looked as scared as his parents. His cheeks still held some of their plumpness from childhood, but his strong jaw suggested that would not be the case for much longer. He was taller than his father, with pale eyes set just a smidge too far apart on his face.

"This is Samuel, Helena," Cora gestured to the adults, "and Daniel."

The people below Regina all bowed their heads solemnly. She took in a breath and straightened up, keeping her expression haughty, but faltered when Daniel's eyes met hers. His eyebrows furrowed and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"May I return inside, Mother?" Regina asked quickly. Cora nodded and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and squeezed.

"Yes, Regina. Do not forget, you have your stitching after lunch today."

Regina gave a quick nod and went back inside. She hurried up the stairs and ran back into her room, closing the door behind her and rushing to her balcony. She crouched down and peeked at the family. They were unloading their few possessions from the carriage. Her eyes followed only Daniel, though.

Later in the week, as Regina mulled around the stables and gingerly pet Ivory's nose for the first time, Daniel walked in on the far side of the edifice. Regina moved back from the horse and smoothed out her coat, keeping an air of indifference around her.

Spotting her, the boy cautiously approached.

"Is that horse yours, milady?"

"Yes," Regina said as coldly as she could. Interacting with the stable boy was not lady-like.

To her dismay, he stepped closer.

"Pardon my asking, but do you ride, or is he just for show?"

The horse snorted and pawed at shook his head, making Regina flinch and take a step back. Daniel moved forward in her wake and placed his hands on the horse's muzzle, stroking the bristly fur.

"No, he's not for riding," Regina started. "Well, he is for riding, but I never, I don't-"

"Do you ride?"

Regina was taken aback by this bombardment of personal questions. She was not used to keeping such casual company with any of the workers, nor having anyone give so much interest into her life.

"I don't."

"Would you like to learn?"

Regina felt her heart pull. The only thing she had ever wanted was to ride the horses kept in the stable. But it had not been on her mother's list of things suitable for one such as herself.

"More than anything," Regina said, barely above a whisper. "But my mother would never..." she trailed off.

Daniel patted Ivory on the nose and back up to look at Regina. She realized how much taller than her he actually was. She felt intimidated and shrunk back.

"If I were to talk to your mother, with your permission, and she were to give her consent, I would gladly guide you."

Regina shook her head fiercely. "No, you mustn't speak to my mother. At least not you. She would never forgive me if she knew I were talking to you, here, like this."

The girl instinctively glanced around the stable, fearing the woman would enter at any moment. "I will talk to her. Perhaps she will let me, find someone to teach me. But it will not be you," she added. "She would never agree to that."

Daniel bowed his head. "Then I wish you luck." He turned to the horse. "He is a beautiful animal, and would be fitting for a beautiful young woman like you."

Regina felt her ears tinge red. The compliment tickled her, a strange feeling. But she was also appalled by the rashness of this new servant.

"Your comments strike me as superfluous and inappropriate, Stable Boy." Regina held her voice steady, trying to sound like her mother.

Daniel bowed his head again. "Forgive me, milady. I will leave you to your bidding." He turned and walked to the other end of the stable where he began to tend to the horses there.

Regina burned a hole into the his back with her eyes, a roiling mix of annoyance at his brash words and burning interest in his casual interference. He was the first of the help she had encountered who addressed her first, engaged with her. She drew her hand down Ivory's muzzle once more and left the stables.

She hurried back into the manor, fixing hair that had removed itself from her braid. Lunch would be waiting in the vast, echoing dining room, and she didn't want to be late. Regina entered the room with an emotionless look on her face, seeing her mother and father were already seated. Nodding at them both, she took her spot across from her mother. It smelled delicious, but Regina's mind was too far from being hungry to really pay attention. The food was mostly eaten in silence, each of them talking only to ask the others to pass a dish.

"Mother?" Regina quipped.

Cora looked up from her soup. "Yes, dear?"

"I was wondering if perhaps I would be permitted to learn to ride."

Regina awaited her mother's quick dismissal or sharp chiding, but neither came.

"Ride? Why on earth would you want to do that?"

Regina bit the inside of her cheek and took in a deep breath.

"I thought that it might be good for me, to learn how. It could help with posture-"

"That's enough," Cora cut in.

Regina shrank into her chair.

"You will begin next week. If your father finds it agreeable."

Regina's eyes darted from her mother to her father, mind still catching up with what her ears had heard.

Henry seemed to snap into awareness at being called upon.

"Yes, of course," he said.

"Then you shall ride."

It felt like butterflies had invaded Regina's chest. She had never expected her mother to agree.

"Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Father." She had to work to keep her voice calm.

She finished the rest of her lunch quickly, and excused herself from the table. Instead of heading to her room as she normally would, she burst through the front doors and sprinted to the stables. Breath heavy as she entered onto the hay-covered ground, she looked around for Daniel. Brown eyes searched for the boy, but the only movements coming from the area were the flick of horse's tails and the shuffling of hooves.

"Daniel?" Regina called out. There was no answer. Disappointed, she walked over to Ivory's stall. The horse snorted at her presence. She reached a hand out, but before she could touch the horse, he leaned in and pressed his nose against her flesh.

"He seems to have taken a sudden liking to you, milady."

Regina startled and Ivory pulled back. She turned to see Daniel in the doorway, a bale of hay in his arms.

"I am going to ride," was all Regina managed to say. Daniel's face broke into a smile, all teeth, and she felt the butterflies return to her stomach.

"I am very happy for you, milady."

"Regina."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Regina. Please call me that."

"I am very happy for you, Regina.


End file.
